Does it ever feel like you do amazing on diets – at least, until it all falls apart? You’re not alone. Many of us start diets believing they’ll finally fix our bodies, boost our confidence, and make us healthier. 

But that is only the beginning of the cycle.

Today, we’re going to dive into why it feels like diets always seem to “work” at first, and why they always fall apart down the road. I was honored to have recently retired fitness instructor Diana McNeill as my guest to dive deep into this topic on the podcast. 

Let’s dive into her story, the specific steps she took to “do the work” of intuitive eating, and how you can follow in her footsteps to make peace with food too. 

Meet Diana McNeill

After growing up in a home shaped by diet culture — her mother was always dieting, “bad” foods were hidden, and she was shamed for both eating and not eating — Diana, a recently retired fitness instructor who focused on teaching functional movement to the older population, became a lifelong dieter. Shaming comments made about her body set her up for a lifelong struggle with body image and yo-yo dieting. 

Her wakeup call came when her husband was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and Diana realized that she couldn’t keep wasting her precious time, energy and attention on dieting anymore. She discovered intuitive eating and has been on a journey towards making peace with her food, healing her body image and navigating life without dieting any longer. 

Why Diets Seem to Work…At First 

When you start dieting, there’s this feeling of being in control. For many, it’s like you’re taking control of your body – and therefore your destiny – with both hands. Whether you’re just trying to be “mindful” with food or you’re diving headfirst into a new diet program, there is usually a honeymoon period. You get compliments, people acknowledge how good you look, and part of you thinks, “Oh, it’s working.” 

This stage is powerful…but it doesn’t last. 

Diets Always Fall Apart. Here’s Why. 

To put it simply, diets always fall apart because they take constant effort. Before you even open your eyes in the morning, you’re already thinking about what you’re allowed to eat and wishing you could have what you really want.

Did you know people think about food between 15 to 20% a day? But if you’re on a restrictive diet, it’s more like 90 to 100%. The emotional and mental load of tracking, planning, resisting cravings, and fearing failure may feel worth it during that honeymoon period, but eventually feels overwhelming. This is the true reason diets fail us, not the other way around. 

Then there’s metabolic and biological pushback or, in other words, hunger hormones and cravings. Because you can’t have the ice cream or the donut, you think about it over and over until the craving is too much and you binge. Or maybe the psychological toll of restricting yourself creates a deprivation backlash. 

With intuitive eating, you learn how to reconnect with your body’s hunger and fullness cues instead of ignoring them. 

The Turning Point: When Dieting Becomes Too Much

In a perfect world, you can track every single macro. You can meal prep for the week so you know exactly what to eat. But if life throws you a curveball, suddenly keeping up with that diet program just isn’t important (or possible).

Diana shares that her last diet lasted around four-and-a-half years. What changed? Her husband’s diagnosis. Trying to track macros and plan and pack meals was just too much. 

When keeping on top of your restrictive diet collides with real life, it becomes a fork in the road. You can try to track every calorie, manage every meal, but often, it’s too much to keep track of. But with intuitive eating, you learn how to listen to your body to know what it – and you – need, even in stressful moments. 

Relearning How to Listen to Your Body

For Diana, the hardest part of intuitive eating was learning how to listen to her body again. She had spent so long ignoring her hunger cues that she didn’t know what real hunger really felt like. Instead, she was either starving from restricting or overeating on “cheat” days.

If this feels familiar, learning to tune into your body through intuitive eating is a new experience. Instead of focusing on rules about what you’re “allowed” to eat, lean into what you actually want and need. Ask yourself: 

• Am I hungry?
• Am I full?
• What do I actually want? 

This is a long-term process, so give yourself grace. Reconnecting with your hunger and fullness cues is key to lasting peace with your body and food. 

Rethinking Exercise: From Punishment to Joy

Had a brownie after dinner? Better do some situps tomorrow. Caved and had a donut during that work meeting? Run an extra ten minutes on the treadmill. Diet culture has created this myth that exercise is punishment for the body or, at the very least, a trade. But the truth is exercise doesn’t need to be a punishment. It’s a way to feel good about the body you’re in. 

If you have a fear of sweat or don’t love the idea of movement, take a page from Diana’s book and try movement snacks. 

• Every time you get up from your chair, do 5 quick chair squats. 
• Do a few wall or counter pushups while waiting for your coffee to brew.
• Sneak in a few heel raises while brushing your teeth. 

Adding small bits of movement throughout the day is a lot less intimidating than an hour-long gym workout. Plus, it can help you shift from thinking of movement as punishment to something you actually enjoy. 

Practicing Self-Compassion and Letting Go of Shame

Diet culture thrives on shame and self-criticism, causing us to say things about ourselves that we would never say to our friends or family. Diet culture tells us this is the way to “healthy”, but the truth is treating yourself with the same compassion you show others is key to true peace with your body. 

Start now. Build a foundation of compassion by being kinder to yourself. Say the nice things you would tell your kids, your sister, your friends. Replace shame and negative talk with compassion. You’re worth it.

Key Takeaways

The truth is, diets don’t fail because you’re weak or undisciplined. They fail because they’re designed to. Restriction creates a temporary “high,” but it always unravels under the weight of obsession, guilt and exhaustion.

The good news? You don’t have to live trapped in that cycle. Like Diana, you can learn to tune into your hunger cues, move your body with joy instead of punishment and practice self-compassion.

Real freedom doesn’t come from chasing the next diet. It comes from building trust with your body, caring for yourself with kindness and creating a life that feels bigger than food rules. That’s a journey you are absolutely worthy of.

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Search for Ep.202 (Transcript): Why You Do Awesome On Diets (And Then It All Falls Apart)

Looking for more support on your journey to food freedom and body acceptance?

– Check out my course, Non-Diet Academy
– Join my Facebook group & community “Intuitive Eating Made Easy”
– Take my FREE quiz “What’s Your Unique Path to Food Freedom?”
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